The Ethiopian Bible History: oldest and most complete known book in the world (Canons and Books) - Paperback

The amazing Garima Gospels were allegedly copied out in one day by a monk who came in the African nation in the fifth century. The colors of the exquisite illustrations are still vibrant and have been preserved owing to the Ethiopian Heritage Fund.
In 494 AD, Abba Garima traveled from Constantinople, and according to mythology, God delayed the sun's setting so that he might transcribe the Gospels in a single day.

Since then, the extraordinary artifact has been preserved at the 7,000-foot-high Garima Monastery near Adwa in the Tigray area of northern Ethiopia.
According to experts, it also represents the earliest instance of book binding that is still connected to the original pages.
Given that the country has experienced Muslim and Italian invasions and that the monastery's church was destroyed by fire in the 1930s, it is amazing that the Gospels have survived.

Ge'ez, an early Ethiopian language, was used to write them on goat leather. The second volume is written in a different hand from the first, despite the fact that both volumes are contemporaneous. The four Gospels are both illustrated in both. It had been believed that the manuscripts, which had been referenced since the 1950s by the rare traveler, were at most 11th century in origin.